Bush Tells Russia They Lost War: Disputed Provinces Must Remain Part Of Georgia, “No Room For Debate”
“So, from my point of view — and I am in contact with the French — the Russians are perhaps already not honoring their word,” Rice said.
Agencie France Presse and AP:
US President George W. Bush said Saturday that the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia must remain part of Georgia.
Bush said in a speech at his ranch in Crawford, Texas that the two regions, embroiled for the past two weeks in a bloody conflict between Russia and Georgia, are “a part of Georgia,” and “they will remain so.”
“There is no room for debate on this matter,” Bush added.
The long-simmering dispute over those breakaway areas turned to war this month after Georgia launched a massive barrage to try to take control of South Ossetia. The Russian army quickly overwhelmed the Georgian forces and drove deep into its neighbor.
Russia’s attack has caused serious strains in relations with the West and heightened fears in the young democracies of Eastern Europe.
Bush discussed the situation for nearly an hour with Rice, who arrived at the ranch around 5:30 a.m. local time from a quick trip to Georgia. They were joined via secured videoconference from Washington by other members of Bush’s national security team, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and national security adviser Stephen Hadley.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said this past week that Georgia could “forget about” getting back South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are controlled by Moscow. Medvedev recently met at the Kremlin with leaders from those regions, raising the prospect Russia could absorb them.
Bush countered that Georgia’s borders need to be respected. He said the U.N. Security Council had passed numerous resolutions based on the premise that South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain within Georgia and that international negotiations seek to resolve conflicts in those areas. “Russia itself has endorsed these resolutions,” Bush said.
Keeping up the pressure on Russia, Rice plans to go to Belgium this coming week for meetings with the foreign ministers of NATO allies and European Union officials to underscore support for Georgia. Bush, who discussed Georgia in calls Saturday to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Latvia President Valdis Zatlers, is expected to continue his telephone diplomacy while on vacation.
At the request of Georgian President Mikhail Saakshvili, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., scheduled a trip to Georgia this weekend for meetings with government officials as well as citizens forced to flee their homes.
Rice says the time had come to talk about the consequences Russia should suffer as a result of its actions in Georgia, yet she declined to possible repercussions it could face.
At the end, perhaps the only thing Russia will have proved is that “they can use their overwhelming regional military power to beat up on a small neighbor,” she said.
“I don’t think that’s actually a very good place from which to proceed on an argument that Russia ought to be considered a responsible member of the international system.”
When the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, it occupied the capital, overthrew the government and paid no consequence because it did not care about its international standing, Rice said. “That’s not Russia of 2008,” she said, adding that Medvedev recently outlined a forward-looking strategy for Russia and its further integration into the international economy. “That’s at stake.”
The cease-fire deal, which Saakshvili signed Friday after lengthy talks with Rice, calls for both Russian and Georgian forces to pull back to positions they held before fighting erupted Aug. 8.
Russian forces withdrew Saturday from the center of a town not far from Tbilisi, the capital. But Lavrov suggested there would be no immediate broader withdrawal. Lavrov said Russia would strengthen its peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia, and that afterward, Russian forces sent in to handle the conflict would be withdrawn.
Asked how much time that would take, he responded: “As much as is needed.”
Rice bristled at this, saying that the text of the cease-fire agreement, negotiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the current leader of the European Union, outlined a very limited mandate only for Russian peacekeepers who were in Georgia at the time hostilities escalated. She said the agreement specifies that these initial peacekeepers can have limited patrols in a prescribed area within the conflict zone and would not be allowed to go into Georgian urban areas or tie up a cross-country highway.
According to Rice, Medvedev told Sarkozy that the minute the Georgian president signed the cease-fire agreement, Russian forces would begin to withdraw.
“So, from my point of view — and I am in contact with the French — the Russians are perhaps already not honoring their word,” Rice said.
But she added that now that the Russian president had signed it too, she expects Russian forces to withdraw expeditiously.
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That’s fine, Mr. President. How are you gonna back that statement up?
August 16th, 2008 at 8:26 amWTF GWB? Everyone knows BHO is boss of the world now!! He will tell Russia what they can do, and who owns what.
Just wait! You’ll see; when Barry speaks Vladimir will wet his pants!
August 16th, 2008 at 9:03 amdadeo:
You’re probably right. Obama is enjoying his vacation in August like a good European Socialist/Marxist should. When he returns to the office, so to speak, Putin and Medvedev will be all ears. They’re just waiting for the de facto President of the United States to return to business.
August 16th, 2008 at 9:15 amThis tough talk is undercut by ZERO effective action. Bush is in denial. He been pwned by Putin.
August 16th, 2008 at 9:32 amRussia will do what it always does. Smash and grab, terrorize and then strip all the equipment and assets on their way out. They’ve moved w/in 14 miles of the capital and dug in to give everybody time to pull out anything of value to haul it back to the mother country. That is what they do.
In “East Minus West = Zero”, Russia was brilliantly exposed by Werner Keller in 1962. Nothing’s changed. They’ve begged, borrowed, rented or stolen most of what has raised them out of ignorance and poverty. From Peter the Great (a rent-a-ruler from Sweden) to the beginnings of their space program (hauled away on trains from Germany in 1945 and later), the West has provided everything from ideas to materials by one means or another. It continues today. They were and continue to be ruled by murderous thugs.
We must elect a Commander In Chief.
August 16th, 2008 at 9:40 amBillie, are you jaelous of our vacations ? BTW, im not, that’s where the others are in vacation that I have more businesses
don’t think he is russians friends either, one would know that already, please don’t call me socialist by saying that, it’s just “bon sense”
OBL is a dead man by now ; his icone is used conveniently from time to time when one needs to recall an agenda
August 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pmHey Franchie
I have some french army rifles for sale. They have never been fired and only dropped once… Are you interested?
August 16th, 2008 at 3:16 pmfor sure, le prophete, uh do they date from Yorktown siege ?
otherwise, I can tell you they are fakes, no value !!!
August 16th, 2008 at 3:32 pmCome on, Prophet…you know you can’t argue with someone less intelligent…they always think they’re right, no logical, intelligent conversations or debates with someone who feels that everyone else is beneath them. Look, the point and FACT is this…we stand and say what others only wish to…we, the United States, not the President (that’s only an office, a job), but we, the PEOPLE of the United States, are brave enough, are bold enough, and I must say, are intelligent enough, to stand up and speak and DO when things are wrong. Socialist are all about “everyone is equal” when it comes to materialism…not when it comes to thoughts or freedom, though franchie seems to be all about voicing her thoughts. We must stand up and support ALL nations that attempt to stand up for it’s citizens and the GOD given rights of freedom.
August 16th, 2008 at 6:38 pmInteresting how the press never mentions Bush as being a lame duck. All Presidents going back since the 1970’s have been called a lame duck at this point in their final term.
Wonder whats up.
August 16th, 2008 at 11:05 pmRemember folks the French were a great factor in liberating the 13 colonies from the British
Based on the realities of our existence as a nation we should actually have better and stronger relations with the French and Germans than the gang that burnt the White House down.
You guys really must get over your bitterness to a different economic system
If the Euros want Socialism let em have it so fuckin what
Wonder what the foreclosure rates are in Europe?
August 16th, 2008 at 11:58 pmThe angry redneck, you seems to be a “correct” person, though you carry on some clichés, but I wont’t argue with you on them, you would think I am not at your level
August 17th, 2008 at 1:09 amLe brave paysan, le prophete wasn’t attacking me on he socalism, but offered me a transaction, my perception of his merchandises seem to satisfy him
my response to your opinion is on another topic
August 17th, 2008 at 1:56 amfranchie:
How do you know I’m not on vacation?
Since we’re talking about vacations, a young relative from socialistic Sweden stayed with us for six months. He took it easy for a while, and then relatives arranged a job for him at an upscale sporting goods store. It wore him out. He said he wasn’t used to working so hard. His girlfriend arrived and he took another vacation.
Even then, in the mid-1990s, this young Swede was so brainwashed that he thought the Swedish flag should be outlawed. Immigrants were offended by it.
He was also convinced that Swedish social services should pay money to unwed fathers and not just to unwed mothers. That was the prevalent thinking among all his male friends. But that’s another story.
August 17th, 2008 at 2:22 amBorders are determined by force of arms—always have and always will.
August 17th, 2008 at 5:23 amBillie, OK people over here have vacations, they paid for them on their salaries, 2,5 % each month is kept for that, idem from their employers ; that’s not a socialists right, that an union gain over decades.
Though 5 weeks are too many, considering the available money in each family
August 17th, 2008 at 8:21 amSheesh…. now we got FranChe I and FranChe II.
The last time the french showed cajones was 1781 and even then didn’t get off the boat.
August 17th, 2008 at 1:26 pmhey sully bin lyin’ I didn’t remarck that you had any (cajones) during the past year, hey are you a fag ? cause each time your in trouble some big arms come to your help
mouarffff
August 17th, 2008 at 1:36 pmlol… I’m certain I would become a fag if I had to live with you.
August 17th, 2008 at 2:08 pmtoo bad, I already booked you for the performance of “Cat on a hot tin roof”, as a fag you would be perfect
August 17th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
August 17th, 2008 at 2:29 pm